


Simple Things

by ExistentialMalaises



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Episode s01e11: Coda, F/M, Post 1x11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 18:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18429872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExistentialMalaises/pseuds/ExistentialMalaises
Summary: When everything else is so complicated, Michael still comes through for Maria.Or: Michael takes Maria home after 1x11.





	Simple Things

**Author's Note:**

> I loved what we got in _Champagne Supernova_. It's a tough spot to be in for Maria, so I wanted to explore that a bit more.

“Come on, Deluca. I’m taking you home,” Michael said, and Maria felt his fingers brush over her uncovered shoulder once more. He had been doing that ever since she woke up from… Maria didn’t exactly know. One minute she was twirling around on the dance floor, the next she woke up somewhere she had never been before. If it hadn’t been for Michael, if she had woken up all alone or even worse, then… she didn’t want to think about it. And to top it all, he hadn’t left her side. Those gentle touches, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Maria shivered when Michael appeared in front of her, and Maria curved her hands around the stainless steel table. There weren’t a lot of eerier things than being on a fucking dissection table. “I’m fine, I can wait for—”

“Look,” Michael said with a heavy sigh, bending a little so their eyes met, “You can’t be alone right now, and I need to know you’ll be safe.”

There was nothing left to protest. She needed to feel safe too, and right now that was with him. No matter how much she didn’t want it to be that way. A faint nod was all it took for Michael to wrap his arm around her waist, and to guide her towards her Chevy. He took the keys from her, and helped her in the pickup, buckling her up. Maria took a deep breath, the stale air inside her truck already getting to her. Things were spinning, and she wasn’t sure whether she was nauseous or needed to eat. On the other side, Michael ran a hand through his curls, and started the engine. When he glanced her way, hazel eyes etched with concern, Maria’s stomach tightened up. The stale air was the least of her problems. “God, how long will this feeling last?”

“Liz said it takes a few hours. You can’t sleep in the meantime.” Michael took the truck on the road, all too accustomed to the interior arrangement. It was convenient they both had the same model. Meant his repairs didn’t take that long either. Quick ins and outs at Sander’s Auto Shop—that was their thing, Maria thought as she tried not to look at him. But then he handed her a bottle of water. “Here.”

“Thanks.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Better, but tired. Sensitive. My buzz is gone.” Maria mumbled, and dropped her clutch on the dashboard. There was so much going on. Too much. “Who drugged me? What happened? Was it Noah?”

“I… don’t know exactly,” Michael said after a pause, his voice hoarser than it had been before. He opened and closed his hands around the wheel, and Maria fidgeted with the plastic cap of the bottle. “Max is working on his investigation.”

That didn’t mean anything to her yet. How had she become a part of this? Maria furrowed her eyebrows together. “The murders?” Michael nodded to her question. “And Noah is a suspect?”

“He is now.”

“Well, shit. I can’t believe it.” Maria shivered as she watched Michael, who kept his eyes on the dark road in front of him, and she wondered. Had she almost died tonight? If it weren’t for her friends… if it weren’t for him? What was she supposed to do with that? “Are you ok?”

Michael bobbed his head, and glanced her way. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re close with the Valley Girl, right?”

“Who?” Michael sized her up, his eyebrows tipping up underneath his loose curls.

Maria waved her hand in front of her, hoping that would help him, because she wasn’t going to actually help. “Blonde bimbo?” She never truly understood what it was that those two had in common that kept them together throughout childhood and well into adulthood. Another piece of the puzzle that was missing.

“ _Blonde b_ —Are you talking about Iz?”

“Oh, was that her name?”

“Cute.” Michael chuckled, then took his eyes off Maria and cocked his head against the head of the seat. “I’m fine. Though I don’t know about her.”

Maria shrugged. She needed to make sure this wouldn’t lead to anything. It couldn’t. Not anymore. “You don’t need to be doing all of this, taking care of me. Maybe make sure that she’s—”

“I’m driving you home.” Michael said in a deadpan tone, then pointed at her unopened bottle. “Drink your water.” His eyes bore into her again, his patient stare caught between the road and herself, arousing nervous flutters in the pit of her stomach.

“Bossy cowboy,” Maria muttered, and opened the bottle. 

“I’m not—” Maria cut him off by turning on her radio; playing up the volume so she didn’t have to continue interacting with him. She plastered on a wide smile, then glared out the side window, away from him. Her heart was stumbling over its own rhythm, and it wasn’t a good look on her. None of this was. She couldn’t do that to Alex. 

As her lids grew heavier, thoughts about Alex loudened. He had made it clear to her over the years how much his mystery museum guy meant to him, and she had always cheered him on, had always wanted for him to pursue the man that made his heart feel lighter. She couldn’t get between that. Not even if Michael had been making her heart lighter over the years without either of them intending to, or without fully realizing it.

Michael wasn’t even someone she had considered anything serious, just a playful flirt who kept pushing her buttons, and she thoroughly enjoyed that, but she was never going to go down that road. She didn’t think it would work, didn’t think he had that in him. Though he had become a friend of sorts over the years—an unusual one. Michael seemed to excel at those types of relationships. Isobel. Max. Liz, lately. She didn’t fully understand their relationships, didn’t fully understand her own relationship with him. But it was good, and easy, and fun. She knew that she could always expect the unexpected from him… just not like this.

When he had comforted her, he had been there for her in a way he had never been before. He had been quiet… kind… tender. Like with his touches. Like with the fucking water bottle. In all these small ways, he was taking care of her when she didn’t ask him to. She never asked him to.

And now her heart was heavy, rendering her inert. There weren’t any options for her here, not real ones, not the ones she wanted to choose.

“Talk to me, Deluca.” Michael nudged Maria’s shoulder, and she sat up straight, trying to keep her heavy lids from closing. “You need to stay awake.”

“I’m awake. I’m fine. Just listening to the music.”

Michael lowered the volume of the radio, and Maria grazed the spot where his hand had been, his warmth no longer there. “My eyes have to be on the road. I won’t notice if you fall asleep on me, so… talk to me.”

“Uhh, I’m hungry. Can we stop for something?”

“Crashdown is closed. Wendy’s?”

Maria’s head flicked towards Michael, and she caught the smile in his eyes. Eating trashy food in her pickup truck while suffering from massive headaches was something they had done before, and quite messily. The long drive from Texas to Roswell flashed through her mind, and unable to refrain from smiling back, she nodded. “Yes! You read my mind.”

After they got their order from Wendy’s Drive-Thru, Maria was able to distract her mind with the food. That way she didn’t need to talk to Michael, and he would know she wasn’t dead because of the drugs. Win-win.

“You’re really crunching that down,” Michael said, and his mouth curved into a grin. Maria laughed and grabbed more french fries and nuggets to stuff herself some more. Once the salt clung to her fingers, and was spreading towards the palm of her hand, Maria decided she could do with a break.

Grabbing a napkin from the takeaway bag, she rubbed her hand somewhat clean. A bit of salt had fallen down on her dress, making Maria grimace.Fortunately no oily stains. With a fresh napkin she wiped the salt from the soft fabric. “Can’t believe I was finally able to wear this way too expensive dress, only to get drugged.” Maria mumbled to herself, shaking her head. “The world is not right.”

“For what it’s worth you looked—”

Without giving it a second thought, she whisked her hand in the air. “Don’t say it.”

Michael shrugged. “I was going to say ‘like a huge mess,’ but I guess I won’t.”

“You jerk.” Maria laughed, her feelings not at all affected. She had felt so beautiful in that dress that it was obvious he was full of shit. Rightfully so, she supposed. But that didn’t stop her from making him pay for it. She reached for a fry, salting her fingers all over again, and threw it towards him.

“At least aim right.” Michael said, his voice high and offended when he picked up the french fry from between his legs, and ate it up.

Maria raised her shoulders this time, and took a fry for herself and reached for her milkshake. “Who says I wasn’t? That fry was a metaphor for smaller things in that exact spot.” In need of refreshment, she put her fry in the shake then ate it.

“Ha. Ha. Didn’t hear you complain in Texas _or_ on the way back.” Michael said, and waggled his eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes, then grabbed another fry. “Why don’t you dip it a little deeper into that milkshake.”

“ _What_ —Nasty.”

“Wasn’t that what you asked me to do,” Michael said, as he glanced her way once more and full-on mocked her with his smirk.

“Shut up, Guerin. I’ve got plenty of fries left to throw your way. Ohhh, better yet, I could dunk the shake on your head! No nuggets, though. I’m not wasting those.”

Michael shook his head, the offending grin still far too visible. “Whatever keeps you awake.” Maybe he had meant to continue teasing her, but those words instantly doused the flames of defiance that he roused within her so easily. Now they were smothered when her heart fluttered again. The small ways in which he was taking care of her… this was one too. She nibbled on the shake-soaked fry, wondering if the tightness would ever leave. Was she to blame for all of this? “Besides, I’m more of a burger man.”

“Why didn’t you get any then?”

“Not hungry.”

Maria tried to raise her leg up the seat, but her dress was too tight. Breathing out deeply, she turned her body towards him completely. “Guerin… about what I said earlier… I shouldn’t have.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Not wanting you to leave. Alex is my—”

Michael shook his head, his eyes searching something on the darkened dirt road. “I don’t want to cause problems for you and Alex, Deluca. But you did nothing wrong. You and I—it happened after him, and it has nothing to do with him. We’re not together, haven’t been for a long time.”

“But I’m still his friend.”

“Got it...” Michael sighed loudly, his fingers momentarily releasing the steering wheel, and she bit her bottom lip.

There were no good options here. Someone would be hurting no matter what, and she was looking at one of those people. Turning her head to the blackened, starless sky, Maria swallowed down the throbbing in her throat. “Did you hear anything from Max yet?”

“Hm, no. I’ll keep you posted.”

“I should go to the police, right? Think they’ll take it serious?”

“About the drugging? Yeah. Max will help. I’ll make sure of it.”

Maria sighed again. A heaviness was weighing her down. There was too much going on, and she was so tired. The drug still affected her much more than she thought. “Will it matter? I don’t really know who drugged me… or _why_ —oh my god, did something happen to me?”

“No, nothing like that.” Michael slid his fingers towards her, not touching her. “From what Liz said, you seemed happy and drunk, and she found you as soon as she realized something was off about you.”

“Ok. Ok.” Maria nodded to herself, trying to not make it worse in her head, because she didn’t remember a fucking thing. The alternatives were much scarier, and she didn’t want those to be true. “Nothing happened.”

“Nothing happened, like I told you at the museum. Give me a nugget.”

“What?” Maria stared at his arm. He had turned his palm towards her, awaiting her nuggets. Unlikely. “I’m not sharing them. You should’ve gotten your own.”

“Play nice, Deluca. I bought you those.”

Maria smiled. She never played nice. He knew better. “And that was your mistake. You don’t own me or _my_ nuggets.”

“Damn…” Michael chuckled, licking his bottom lip.

“Ok, fine, take one.” Maria took her nuggets out of the bag, and held the box for him. “Only one.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Michael winked at her, and she almost pulled her hand away, as if he was going to burn her. Michael continued flirting with her. It was a repartee that came too easily. She wasn’t sure how they were supposed to transition to something… less playful. Maybe he wasn’t either. This used to be their comfort zone, and she knew he was trying to do exactly that. Comfort her. But it was different now. She shook the box of nuggets towards him after he finished with the first one, checking to see if he wanted more. He followed the noise, then nodded.

She sighed, and unfastened her seatbelt so she could scoot to the middle of her pickup. “Here.” With a bit of effort she fastened her new seatbelt. “It’s just a thank you. For driving me home.”

“The nuggets I paid for myself.”

Maria brought the box to her chest. “Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it.” Michael bobbed his head, and she kept the box near him, so he could reach for a nugget whenever he wanted to.

“What were you up to, Guerin? You said you were pulling an all-nighter? What for?”

“This project I’ve been working on.”

“What project?” Maria closed her eyes, letting her heavy lids rest for a minute. They were talking anyway, he’d know she was awake.

“I’m trying to rebuild a vehicle. An old one. I don’t have all the right parts yet, and they’re extremely rare.”

Darkness engulfed her, the only thing she still perceived was his animated voice. “Mhmm, how long have you been working on it?”

“Feels like forever.”

“What about… parts online?” 

“Nothing I can afford.” It took him a while to answer, but when he spoke again, she flickered her eyes open. Was he speaking louder, or had she almost fallen asleep?

Shaking herself awake, Maria took her milkshake. “Ah, the age-old problem.”

“Money.”

“Did I say thank you for all of this yet?” Maria pointed at the takeaway bag while she sipped on the shake, the cold of the drink warring whatever sleep she was up against mere seconds ago.

“You don’t have to, Deluca.”

“I want to. _Thank you_. Here, have another nugget.” Maria brought the box to his face again, but Michael backed away.

“I’ll take some of that Frosty.”

“Want some fries too?” Maria quirked an eyebrow, but when he gave her a wide smile, she puckered her lips together and begrudgingly handed him her milkshake. He swallowed it down, not at all minding the cold. “Give them a finger, and they’ll take the whole hand,” Maria said to herself, and Michael almost choked on the milkshake as he laughed. She smiled in spite of herself. 

After a few more minutes of radio silence, with the occasional ‘i’m still awake’ from her, they had finally reached her house.

“Come on.” Michael opened the door for her, and she tried to scoot towards him. Not a lot of movement was possible in her dress, certainly not when her hands were holding on to her shake and clutch instead of the car. When she tried to stand, everything started spinning again, and she almost sat back down in her car had Michael not planted an arm around her waist at the same time. She slanted towards him, letting him hold her for a moment, until the world stood still. “You good?”

Maria inclined her head softly, ignoring the whiff of musky cologne that she detected, and pushed him away to stagger towards her door by herself. Despite not having spent a whole night dancing, she couldn’t believe how much her feet were hurting. She glanced next to her, to Michael, who had the bag of food on an arm, and the other faintly behind her.

She frowned to herself.

After she managed to open the door, she was going to take the bag, and tell him goodnight. But when she stared into those big hazel eyes of his, eyes that were etched with concern throughout the night, she couldn’t do it. Not right now. Not when she still needed to feel safe. “Can you… stay? Make sure I don’t fall asleep for the next few hours?”

“Yeah. I can do that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated.  
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://existentialmalaises.tumblr.com/).


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